


Determination is your God

by KarmaTheCreator



Category: OneShot (Video Game), Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-18
Updated: 2017-06-18
Packaged: 2018-11-15 13:17:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11231793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KarmaTheCreator/pseuds/KarmaTheCreator
Summary: The story of OneShot, with Chara, the Fallen Human, as the god.





	1. An Unfamiliar World

**Author's Note:**

> The plot of this story was not written by me, but by Matthew Velasquez. All I did was write down the story and add in Chara, who is owned by Toby Fox.

Niko woke up in a strange, dark house, their yellow eyes being the brightest light in the room, but nowhere near bright enough to allow them to see.

"..." They looked around. No one seemed to be there, but they called out all the same. "H-hello?"

No response. "....."

They stood up, pushing away the cover on the bed they were in. They looked around for some way to get out. There was something on the floor, but they couldn't tell what it was from where they were. They walked over to it, their small feet padding across the floor. It appeared to be a TV remote. They picked it up. They examined it, but it was too dim to see anything on it.

They stood up, ready to explore the rest of the room. They couldn't find anything else except a computer, which required a password, and the bed they had woken up in. There were two doors out of the room. One of them was locked, but the other led into what appeared to be the bathroom, containing a toilet, a bathtub (which wouldn't run), a sink, and a withered plant, stiff and dry. A branch snapped off. Niko picked it up.

They didn't see anything else they could do there, so they absentmindedly glanced at the remote. Wait... weren't there supposed to be more numbers than four? Curious, they stepped into the dim light of the window and looked. The numbers 4, 6, 2, and 8 stared back at them. They were marked in bright colors, 4 in green, 6 in blue, 2 in yellow, and 8 in red.

...Didn't the computer require four numbers? Excited, they hurried over to the computer and entered them in the order specified by the computer, making it 6 4 8 2.

**Access granted.**

The computer opened, revealing a simple desktop. Before Niko could mess with anything, however, a message appeared. 

"..."

"You found me."

"....Why?"

"You're already too late. Not much of the world remains."

"This will be apparent once you go outside."

"This place was never worth saving."

"...Do you still want to try?"

"Then, remember this:"

"Your actions here will affect Niko."

Niko stared at it, confused. Weren't  **they** Niko? Perhaps the message was meant for someone else. They continued reading anyway, their curiosity captured by the message.

"Your 'mission' is to help Niko leave."

"And most importantly..."

...Most importantly...? They couldn't see anything else, and that was the end of the message. As the computer shut down, they heard a lock click. They walked over to the door they had tried earlier, the one that that had been locked before, there scarf flowing out behind them. It opened easily, revealing the rest of the building.

They called out again. "Helloooo? ...Anyone?"

No response. The door shut behind them, leaving them to look around. There was a TV there, its screen broken, revealing the wires beneath. They jumped back as it sparked and decided to deal with it later.

As most of the house was in shambles, there wasn't much they could do. The kitchen was mostly intact, though. They opened the fridge. The only thing in it was a bottle of alcohol. Niko took it. It probably had some purpose. 

They looked around for other options. The sink wouldn't turn on, the branches in the fireplace were unlit, and the two other doors were locked. They tried igniting the branch on the TV, which was still sparking, but nothing worked. They tried to look for other ways to light it, but couldn't find anything.

...Wait. Wasn't alcohol supposed to be flammable? Niko dipped the branch into the bottle they had collected. It immediately soaked up the liquid, leaving only a faint trace of the alcohol that had previously been contained there. They approached the TV again, readying the branch.

"Ah!" It ignited. They were able to approach the fire and light the branches it contained.

They glanced around the room for anything else, when they spotted a small metallic object, glimmering in the firelight. They dug it out, revealing it to be an old key.

They immediately started to head over to the larger door, but then remembered how big the keyhole had been, so there was no way such a small key would fit. They headed over to the other door and unlocked it. There was a long set of stairs going downwards, disappearing into darkness. They continued down slowly, wondering what awaited them at the bottom.

What awaited them turned out to be a long, narrow hallway. When they finally reached the end, they discovered a rather large lightbulb. They bent down to pick it up.

At their touch, it lit up, filling the rest of the hallway with a bright light. When they reached the top of the stairs, lightbulb in hand, the rest of the house was much brighter, lit up by the lightbulb.

They walked over to the door and placed it in the large keyhole. It fit just right, allowing them to exit the house.

...They didn't seem to be outside just yet, only in a room full of broken computer terminals. Nothing useful. They left, ready to explore the world beyond.


	2. Welcome to the Barrens

Niko stepped out of the house into a world with a dark sky, the only visible light coming from the sun and from some pools which appeared to contain glowing shrimp. They looked up to view a tall tower, extending up into the sky until it was no longer visible. The ground was blue and mossy, with broken rails and deactivated robots everywhere.

Moving upward, they found another building, similar to the one they had previously been in. There was a metal pipe on the floor, what appeared to be a broken section of railing. Niko picked it up. There was a bed on the other side of the room. They weren't tired just yet, though. They'd sleep later.

They tried to head further up, but the air was unbreathable. They'd come back later, once they found a way to allow them to breathe.

Heading in the opposite direction, past the building they woke up in, they found a large building with a white-and-red robot standing in front of it, the brightest colors they had seen since the lightbulb. It turned around as it noticed Niko.

[Ah!]

It hurried down to meet them.

[That Lightbulb...! You Are Here!]

"M-me?" Niko stuttered, surprised.

[Yes!]

[Welcome To Our World, Friend!]

[I Am Most Humbled By Your Presence. Yes!]

It seemed very excited to see them. Niko wasn't sure how to take this. "Uh, thanks..."

"..." Niko paused, slightly frustrated.

"Sorry... I'm a little lost..."

The robot did not think this was much of a problem. [Ah, Right! Allow Me To Explain Some Things. May I First Ask How You Arrived Here?]

Niko wasn't sure what to say. How  _did_ they arrive there? Why had they woken up there, of all places?

They decided to tell the truth. "I'm... not sure... I woke up in this... weird house. It was really dark!"

The robot was not at all surprised. [Oh! So You Woke Up In An Unfamiliar, Dark Location?]

Good, it understood. "Mhm!"

[Just As My Prophecy Foretold. Yes! You Are The Savior We Have Been Waiting For! You Will Be The One To Save Our World From Eternal Darkness.]

The robot made a strange noise, like it was loading something. What was it supposed to mean? Was it happy? Was it confused? Had it overloaded its system somehow? "...um."

It continued as if nothing had happened. [I Will Now Provide You With Vital Information! Please Ask Me Anything!]

Oh. That helped. "Ah, well... Can you tell me about..."

Niko spoke the first thought that came to mind. "...this world?"

"I'm not sure where I am, exactly... I can't see too far off, everything's so dark..."

The robot seemed slightly sad. [Our World Was Not Always This Dim. Nor Was It So Broken. But Time Waits For Nobody, Not Even Saviors. Our World Is Divided Into Three Regions. You're On The Fringe Right Now, The Barrens. That Tower You See In The Distance Once Held Our Sun.]

"Oh, so that's what the tall thing was..."

[As You Go Further Towards The Center, You Will Cross The Other Regions. There Should Be A Map Still In This Outpost Somewhere...]

Niko was intrigued. "Ooo.... Can you tell me about... ...the lightbulb?"

"I found it in the house I woke up in..."

[Within Your Hands Is Our New Sun.]

Did it mean that like a metaphor? "Your... sun?"

[Yes!] Not a metaphor, then. [Years Ago, Our Previous Sun Sat Atop That Tower And Spilled Its Life Into The Land. But One Day, The Light Went Out.]

"Oh..."

[The World Is Still Hanging On By A Thread.]

[The Surface Of This World Is Abundant With An Element Called Phosphor. Fortunately For Us, This Element Stored Light Energy From Our Previous Sun. It's Now Our Only Source Of Illumination, But Its Energy Is Finite. When The Last Of The Light Dies, Our World Will Too.]

Well, that was depressing. "...Ah....."

[But Now That You Are Here With The New Sun, All Is Well. You Will Need To Restore It To The Tower.]

Niko glanced at the tower they had seen earlier. "That looks... pretty far off!"

[Yes. So Begins Your Pilgrimage. Also, The Sun Is Fragile, So Be Careful. If The Sun Shatters, The World Will End In An Instant.]

"Oh....." Niko couldn't decide what the worst part of this situation was: That they were trapped in a strange world with no visible way to get home, that a whole world was depending on them to save everyone, or that they held the world's sun in their hands. "Can you tell me about..."

Niko thought for a moment, trying to decide what else to ask them, and eventually decided to take the opportunity to ask about the computer's message. "...the computer?"

"In the house, I found this... computer. It kept saying stuff like 'Your actions here will affect Niko.' But...  _I_ 'm Niko! Are those messages meant for someone else?"

The robot didn't seem sure. [Hm... If I Had To Guess, They Might Be Trying To Pass The Message To Chara.]

Niko was confused? "....Chara?"

The robot was eager to explain. [Ah, That Would Be Our God! If You Are Here, That Means Chara Is Here Also. Chara Will Provide Guidance For Your Journey. In Fact, They Already Have.]

This information had Niko intrigued. "Really? I haven't seen anyone though..."

The robot seemed disappointed. [Have You... Not Contacted Chara Yet?]

"I don't think so."

[Being The Bringer Of Our Sun, You Have The Sacred Ability To Communicate Directly With Chara... An Ability That No One Else Possesses, Certainly Not I. Please Close Your Eyes And Focus.]

Niko did so. "Alright..."

"Hello? ...Chara? Are you... there?"

A voice. "Greetings!" A figure appeared before them, barely visible. From what Niko could see, they had short brown hair with bright red eyes, and wore a green-and-yellow striped shirt.

"Oh! Chara, is that you?"

"Yes."

"N-nice to meet you, Chara! My name is Niko!"

They opened their eyes, excited and amazed by what had just happened. "I actually heard someone! I think I might have seen them too... Anyway, they said their name is Chara... This is incredible..."

[Do Not Be Afraid To Ask Chara For Assistance. You Are The Messiah After All.]

"Can you tell me about..." Niko could only think of one more thing. "...going home?"

"Oh... I don't mean to be rude, but I... I'm... not sure about this." Chara gave Niko a look of disapproval. Niko ignored them. "I still don't know how I got here! I was just with my mama a few hours ago... And now it feels like I'm in a bad dream... I just want to go home..."

[...]

[Your Mission Is To Save Our World. Just As My Mission Is To Tell You About Our World. I Am Unable To Help You Beyond My Programming. I Am Sorry.]

".....oh." Niko looked sad for a moment. "I think that's all I have to ask for now."

[Excellent! I Wish You Luck.]

Niko stepped away.

Chara decided to speak to them again. "Well, looks like it's just you and me for a while, Niko."

"Yeah, I guess so..."

The two of them entered the building the Robot had been standing outside of. Niko spotted a paper on the table and went over to read it.

 

 

 

> "The use of a robot as our replacement head engineer seems unorthodox."
> 
> "...especially the one responsible for last year's incident."
> 
> "I suppose they had to get her away from the city, but that doesn't make it easier to swallow for those of us who work here!"
> 
> "I hope that man knows what he's doing."
> 
> \--Management

Niko stared at the paper for a minute before stepping away. They went in the other direction, as they couldn't see anything else around. They spotted a sort of machine and read the paper beside it.

 

> "SELF-CHARGING SOLAR BATTERY MODEL N-87 (One year warranty included)"
> 
> "Simply place your self-charging battery in full daylight with the lens facing up."
> 
> "Charges in seconds, no external power is needed."
> 
> "TROUBLESHOOTING MANUAL."
> 
> "If the battery fails to charge, check to see if the lens on the front side has not been dislodged during transport."

"If it has not, dislodge it yourself!" Chara said, grinning.

"Chara, no."

 

> "One charge cycle will last about ten days."
> 
> "If you notice a decline in the charge cycle within the warranty period, please contact the manufacturer."

Niko stepped over to the machine itself. "This box looks interesting! ...I wish I had something to pry it open with..."

"What about that pipe we found earlier?" Chara suggested. Niko took it out and tried it. It was too big to fit.

Niko decided to leave it alone until they had something to pry it open with. There was a computer. It wouldn't turn on. They exited the room to discover another machine, this one with a jar full of small, glowing shrimp. "That might be the phosphor the robot mentioned," Chara suggested. The machine didn't seem interesting, although Niko said they could feel their hair standing up a little. 

Niko and their god exited the building and went into another building, not very far away. They could hear something pounding. Both of them on edge, they entered a room where the pounding was much louder. There appeared to be some sort of machine designed to smash things. Niko was about to turn away when Chara got their attention.

"Hey-hey-hey."

"What is it, Chara?"

"The... the sun."

"What?"

"Put it in the machine."

"Wha- Chara! I'm not going to smash the sun!"

That sent Chara into a fit of laughter. Finally they were able to say, "Ok, put the pipe in."

Niko seemed slightly scared as they took out the pipe. "Ohh, but I don't wanna get too close..."

They extended the rod, trying to hold their body as far away from the machine as possible. They flinched as the top of the pipe was crushed. "That was scary..."

Chara got an idea. "Hey... what if we use the pipe to open the machine we saw earlier?"

"Oh yeah, that could work! Great idea, Chara!" The pair hurried back to the previous building. Niko was easily able to open the machine. There was a little metal cube and some broken glass.

"Looks like what used to be a machine part," Chara added. The words "Solar Battery" were written on the side.

"I guess that's all we can do with this for now, Chara." They stepped out of the building to see what else they could find.


	3. Silverpoint

Niko and Chara continued on, past the factory, and came to a long maze of paths. "Wow, this is going to be difficult to navigate..." said Niko.

After lots of choosing paths, hitting dead ends, turning around, and accidentally entering areas where it hurt to breathe, they reached a long, wide area. One spot was covered in black clovers and had a deactivated robot in the center. They finally reached a house, past the clovers, and entered.

Inside was a red-haired robot, this one not deactivated, just like the red-and-white robot they had seen. [!] She turned around as she noticed Niko.

[The lightbulb... so, are you the "messiah"?]

"That's what I've been told."

[I expected someone... taller.] Her eyes went to the cat-like ears on Niko's hat. [Or at least someone that doesn't look like a kitten. That's what you are, right? Some sort of cat?]

Niko was offended. "Nuh-uh! I'm a person!"

The robot seemed skeptical. [You got the eyes of a cat...]

Niko was determined to proof that he was NOT a cat. "But cats walk on four legs!"

The robot gave up. [Well, either way... A child like you being the messiah... just doesn't feel right.]

"But that robot back there says there's no mistake..."

[I know.] She sighed. [This is going to sound cold, but... I honestly think you are better off just... leaving and letting the world die naturally. The world has been falling apart for a long time. This manner of decay... It's highly improbable that the sun can fix it. You've already seen how bad it can get, right?]

"We... haven't seen much of anything, actually... And we can't really just leave..."

The robot was surprised. [Oh, so you just got here? Then you must be headed towards the Tower.]

Niko nodded. "M-hm! It's where I'm supposed to put the lightbulb... er, sun, isn't it?"

[Yes, at the very top. We know the Tower contains a force that nobody could comprehend. And the power is strongest at the summit. Maybe it will send you back home after you complete your mission.]

Niko was excited. "Oh!"

[Don't take my word for it, though.] The robot turned away, leaving Niko to explore the house. They found a letter on the table. 

 

> Dear Silver,
> 
> I heard the news about the mines. 
> 
> I'm sorry... I can't imagine what you're feeling.
> 
> It's been two weeks...
> 
> I know it must be hard, but maybe it's better that you came back...
> 
> It's only a matter of time before the rowbots are recalled.
> 
> At least let me know you got my message, okay?
> 
> -Kip

Niko stepped away, wondering what it meant. Next to the table was a small machine. Niko approached it. [Please do not touch that.]

"Oh! Sorry... I got curious... what is this thing?"

[Back-up power cell. It keeps me functional. The main generator for the Barrens ran out of power some time ago. It could not even last a week without the sun.]

"Sorry to hear that..."

[All we can do is make use of the light we have.]

Niko began to speak to Chara. "This is some kind of power cell, apparently! The word "SILVER" is written on the side." Niko turned to the robot. "Why does it say that?" 

[That's not important.]

"Okay..."

"It's probably her name."

"Maybe..."

Niko wanted to step away, but Chara nudged their hand towards the machine. The machine sparked as soon as it touched them. "Ow! I got shocked..."

Silver gave them a look of disapproval. [I told you not to touch it.]

"Chara made me."

Chara responded to this with an innocent whistle, earning them another "Not Amused" face from Niko.

They stepped away from the machine. Something on the shelf caught their eye. "It's a screwdriver."

[You can take it if you want. It may help you.]

"Oh! Are you sure?"

[Yes. I have many.]

"Thank you!" Niko took it.

They couldn't seem to find anything else in the house, so they decided to ask Silver about the Tower. "What's inside the Tower?"

[I don't know. Nobody's ever entered it before. At least, nobody history knows.]

"Then... who built it?" Chara agreed with this question. Surely SOMEONE had to have been up there some time!

[Built? As far as anyone can tell, it's been there since the end of time. I know someone who wanted to study it before, but....]

"Oh?"

[He never told me if it went anywhere.]

When Niko hesitated to leave, Silver asked, [Do you need further assistance?]

"We're good, thanks!"

They left the house and decided to check out the rest of that area. They found what appeared to be a cave. When they approached, Silver called out from behind them. [Wait!] Niko stopped and turned around. [I saw you heading towards this direction. The mines have been abandoned for a long time, I cannot guarantee that it's safe. If you must enter it, it is my duty to accompany you at least once.]

"Oh, thanks!" Silver removed the rope blocking the entrance and led the way in. [Do be careful in here.]

The cave was mostly empty, but there was a small gadget on the floor. "It looks kinda like a camera..."

[What's left of a camera, anyway...] Silver added. [Probably even part of a robot, at one point.] 

Niko was slightly alarmed. "Oh..."

[Or not. I don't know.]

Niko picked up the camera. They were about to continue looking around, when Chara stopped them. "Do you still have that screwdriver that we picked up in Silver's house?

"Yes..."

"What if we use it to unscrew the lens from the camera? We might be able to fix the battery!"

"Okay..." Niko fiddled with the camera for a minute before successfully removing the lens. "Done!" They glanced at the rest of the camera before throwing it away. Nothing useful.

"Now you should be able to insert the lens into the battery." Niko did so. The lens popped right in. "We'll charge it later. Now you can go check out the rest of the mines!"

"Okay!"

There were some broken mine cart tracks leading across a gap. Niko drew near to the edge. "I can see a faint yellow glow in the distance..."

Silver approached them. [Don't stand so close to the edge.]

"Oh! Sorry!" Niko took a step back.

Silver stood next to them and looked across the gap. [Looks like even the entrance tunnel collapsed off. Without a vehicle, we can't proceed.]

Niko was confused. "Can't we walk?"

[I can. But for you, it's a safety violation. I won't allow it.]

"What's ahead, anyway?"

[It's a huge network of underground mines, the source of this world's metal and non-phosphor fuel. This is what propelled the world into the industrial age.]

Niko was slightly disappointed. "So now it's lost forever?"

[It's been for a while now. When the sun went out, the mines were the first to be abandoned amidst the initial panic. Even the robots have all been cleared out and repurposed.]

"That makes sense..."

"Not really."

"(Shut up, Chara.)"

[Though there was one that always insisted on going back... I hope he's okay...]

Silver turned around and walked away, back to the area where Niko had found the camera. Niko headed down towards the exit. [Ready to leave?]

"Mhm."

"Me too, these mines are creepy," Chara said.

They left the mines. Silver returned to her home, leaving Niko and Chara to their own devices. They left the area, back towards the network of paths. On their way back, they discovered some sort of safe, which was asking for a six-digit code. "I don't remember seeing any 6-digit codes. Do you, Chara?"

"...No."

 

Niko managed to find their way out of the maze of paths, much to the relief of both Chara and Niko, and headed back towards the rest of the Barrens. They spotted an old robot in a boat, which was resting by the sea. Niko walked up to the robot and greeted it. "Um... hello?"

The robot didn't answer. "...Chara, are you there?"

"Yes."

"Oh, good! There's a robot here, attached to a boat. It doesn't seem to have power, and its joints are rusting over as well. But I think we should be able to fix it! After all, we'll need to cross this ocean to get to the tower..."

Niko stepped away and, with Chara's guidance, headed back to the bunk near the one they woke up in. Niko spotted a bed. "I'm a little tired from walking. Is it alright if I take a nap?"

"Of course!"

Niko got into the bed and quickly fell asleep.

 


End file.
